FIVE OF CUPSin The RIDER WAITE Deck of Tarot Cards

Quick Keywords

Colours and Symbols

There is a figure in a dark cloak looking at the 3 cups on the floor in front of him and the contents that have spilled out of them. There are 2 upright cups behind him that he does not even see.

Meaning

This card is about looking back at things that have happened with regret and with the feeling of “If only I had done… or not done… or I wish I had done… or not done”. It is focusing on what has gone or has been lost and not able to see the good that may have come from the situation.

It is a card of loss, disappointment, sadness, suffering and possibly depression. There can be a feeling of being emotionally let down by someone.

This is a card of great loss, trauma, distress and possibly grief. It can indicate grief through bereavement or raw feelings and emotions when someone is going through a relationship break-up.

It can also be that someone is acknowledging mistakes of the past, although they may not yet be quite ready to turn around and look at the present or look forward to the future.

The loss and regret can be in many forms and the surrounding cards will indicate the area of life it relates to. Loss can be very difficult to cope with because of our emotional resistance to change.

The cards behind indicate that all is not lost completely and that something may be salvaged from the situation. There is some good, although it may take time and more healing to see it clearly.